


bad habits

by kinos



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Polyamory, a bit of yanan/yuto at the start like a smidge, fluff too, mentions of violence and abuse, scammer au, there's nothing that graphic dw, they're Not Very Nice people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 07:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13898802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinos/pseuds/kinos
Summary: Hyunggu has always been greedy, wanting more than he can have, more than he can handle, a bad habit he can’t seem to quit.





	bad habits

**Author's Note:**

> okay Hello yes so i've been wanting to write this since last october i think?? it was inspired by [this artwork](https://twitter.com/pentagonym/status/925003723910234113) like as soon as i saw it, it was like wow ok wooyuki scammer au but then i never actually thought of it any further than that until the other day when i saw the art again and i was like OH yea i never got around to writing that so i thought about it a bit and thought it might be more fun if i included another member too and i'm a total sucker for 2gu which is how this whole thing happened and YEAH okay i'll shut up now uhhh please check the tags before you read bc there's nothing really graphic in here but there are mentions of some heavy stuff so be sure to check those and please enjoy!!!

“Your turn.”

Hyunggu whispers the words into Yuto’s ear, the tip of his finger tracing over the shell of it, tugging on his earring just enough to make him tip his head back against Hyunggu’s shoulder, their cheeks pressed together now.

“Which one do you want tonight, baby?” he asks, that finger of his moving over the line of his jaw now, down the middle of his throat, resting in the dip between his collarbones. “You can have any.”

“That one looks pretty,” Wooseok chips in from his other side, hand sliding over Yuto’s arm, fingers pressing into the smooth fabric of his suit. “The blonde one.”

Yuto follows his gaze, eyes landing on the man that he’s talking about, standing in the far corner of the club. His body is made up of mostly leg, and it shows in the outfit that he’s wearing, fitting shirt tucked into the high waist of his pants, cuffed just above his ankles. His blonde hair doesn’t look real, it’s too yellow, too loud, but it looks good on him anyway. Yuto could never pull it off.

“He looks rich too,” Hyunggu comments, still absentmindedly drawing circles on Yuto’s skin, a habit he’s gotten far too used to.

His sharp eyes pick out the usual things, Rolex on one wrist, silver bracelet on the other, heavy rings on every other finger. Every piece of clothing on his body looks perfectly tailored for him, and his shoes boast of a high fashion brand that Hyunggu can’t quite pronounce. But there’s an air around him that makes him seem like he’s more than just another city boy CEO living off of daddy’s money. He hums, thoughtful. “Royalty, maybe?”

“Maybe,” Wooseok agrees with a small nod, chin falling onto Yuto’s shoulder, glancing up at him with a little grin, brows already arched high. “Yuto should go find out.”

That makes heat crawl up Yuto’s neck, his eyes still trained on the guy, almost captivated by how handsome he is, even from this distance. It’s silly how quickly he had locked onto him, not even bothering to look at anyone else now, simply because they’d told him to. _You can have any,_ Hyunggu had said, but they all knew that Yuto would just take whoever was chosen for him. And it isn’t a surprise, not really. Though he’s technically the oldest of the three, he’s always been the easiest to persuade, to sway, going along with whatever Hyunggu and Wooseok ask of him. It’s not like he’s a pushover, far from it, he knows he has a right to say no, but he does what they want because he knows they only want the best for him, because he knows it’ll make them happy. He wants them to be happy.

So Yuto does whatever they tell him to, always so good, so obedient, and it works. One glance at him is enough to scare some people off, but once they give him a chance, give him the time, they see that he wouldn’t even hurt a fly. They see how sweet he is, how kind, falling for him so quickly, letting him in so easily. And they never stop to think that when he slips out of their beds the next morning, it’s not just their kisses that he steals, that maybe he isn’t so good after all.

“Can I?” Yuto asks, even though he knows that he already has their permission, that it’s their choice after all.

Hyunggu pinches his chin between his thumb and forefinger, not enough to make it hurt, only to turn Yuto’s face towards him, catching his lips in a brief kiss before he speaks against his mouth. “Of course you can.”

Hyunggu is the opposite of Yuto, giving orders instead of taking them, always doing things his own way. Whatever he wants, whenever he wants, with whoever he wants. He’s a tricky one, a bit too impulsive at times, and it’s gotten him into more trouble than he’d care to admit. But they love him too much to ever get upset about it. They know that he does what he does so that they don’t have to, that he’s the only one who’s willing to go to lengths that they wouldn’t even dare to think of, that he’ll do anything at all. He’d do anything and everything for them.

And unlike how he takes charge with Yuto and Wooseok, when it’s Hyunggu’s turn to play, he hands the reins over to whoever it is that takes him home for the night. He lets them take him however they want, however they please, all while he takes every single thing that they own from right under their noses, leaving them with nothing.

But sometimes he lets it go too far, sometimes he comes home with telltale marks of just how much he had let himself be used for the sake of getting a couple of bucks, bruises and cuts and tears that he tries to hide behind the glitter and gold.

They always see right through him though, see how hard it is for him to do what he does, for them. And it’s those times that Yuto does what he does best, so good, so obedient, tending to Hyunggu’s wounds, replacing what they took from him with his own love and care.

Wooseok’s love comes differently, the youngest one being their protector, making sure that no one ever hurts them. Sure, usually, he likes being coddled, likes being treated like the baby that he is, being the only one of them who refuses to ever go as far as sleeping with strangers. He’ll have his fun, he’ll flirt and touch, a few kisses here and there if he feels like it, his hands nicking whatever he can off of their bodies before he walks away, leaving them begging for more. And the more they give, the more he takes, hardly even breaking a sweat as he does.

But at times, when it’s needed, he can be even worse than Hyunggu, ruthless, brutal, sending pain to whoever dares to lay a hand on them, making them regret ever even looking their way. He isn’t possessive the way Hyunggu is, doesn’t care for trivial things like jealousy, but if anyone were to ever threaten either of them, in any way, Wooseok would be there in a heartbeat, to protect them. He’ll always protect them.

“Go,” Wooseok tells Yuto, giving him the green light, running a hand down the bumps of his spine as he stands. He gives him a gentle squeeze on his hip, pressing a small kiss to his nape. “And be careful, okay?”

Yuto nods, reaching out to grasp both of their hands, for luck, finding comfort in the familiarity of their palms against his own. Then he goes, easily weaving his way through the crowd of dancers, still feeling Hyunggu and Wooseok’s eyes on him when he reaches the other end, feeling them watch him and it makes him feel a little better to know that they are.

He likes it when they watch, when they see how good he is, how he does everything that they taught him so perfectly, so effortlessly.

“Hi,” Yuto says as he approaches the blonde. _Smile,_ he hears Hyunggu’s voice in the back of his mind. Then Wooseok’s voice, lower, _You have a pretty smile._ So, he immediately flashes a winning grin, the apples of his cheeks lifting, and he can almost feel the two beam in approval.

The man looks him over, not even bothering to hide how his eyes drag over Yuto’s entire frame, from his styled hair, fixed to fall into his eyes just a bit; to his blue suit, the shirt underneath it unbuttoned just enough to draw attention to his chest; to his toned legs, not as long as this guy’s, but with thighs that are nice enough to make him tug his lower lip between his teeth as he looks back up at Yuto.

“Hello,” he says back, and his voice is surprisingly… _soft,_ not at all what Yuto had expected from him. And he thinks that Hyunggu might’ve been right, because the way he spoke that word alone was enough to prove that he’s definitely more than just another player that they’re used to. Maybe tonight will be fun.

Yuto holds out a hand, that smile still on his face when he introduces himself. “I’m Adachi.”

He never uses his first name with these people, neither does Hyunggu, the boy going by ‘Kino’, as a safety precaution, to make sure no one can trace them back to each other. Wooseok doesn’t care about using his own name, says that he isn’t afraid of being found out. Hyunggu doesn’t like it, but he knows better than to pick petty fights with the younger, simply telling him that if it ever comes back to bite him in the ass one day, he’ll have to deal with it himself.

“Yanan,” the man answers, gingerly latching onto Yuto’s outstretched hand, bringing it to his lips to brush a gentle kiss to the back of his palm. It makes Yuto blush. He gives Yuto another long look, still holding onto his hand, as if he’s trying to make a decision. And once he does, he makes a small sound of approval, more to himself really, and he says, “Dance with me.”

Yuto doesn’t even get a chance to answer, already being tugged along towards the dance floor, and he barely manages to send a quick glance over to the two, glad to see them looking back at him with pride in their eyes.

They watch as Yuto dances with Yanan, his hands roaming all over his body, sliding over his chest, his neck, getting caught in that artificial blonde hair of his. He pouts at them whenever he catches their eye, because as gorgeous as Yanan is, they all know that he’d rather be dancing with them. They want to dance with him too. But tonight, they can’t. Tonight, they need Yuto to win Yanan over, to worm his way into his bed, to come home with at least one gold ring that they can pawn off. They’ve been running low, too low, and they all know that they need this. So Hyunggu gives him encouraging nods from where he’s sat in Wooseok’s lap, Wooseok mouthing sweet words to him over his shoulder, the both of them urging him to keep going.

So Yuto keeps going, does as he’s told, lets himself be held between Yanan’s arms, knowing that by tomorrow morning, he’ll be back in Hyunggu and Wooseok’s arms, back in his home, and they’ll be richer than they are now.

They always wait around until they’re sure that they’ve got an in, because sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes even Yuto’s pretty smile or Hyunggu’s puppy eyes aren’t enough, and they end up going home with empty hands. But tonight, it seems like it’s more than enough. So they wait until Yanan’s practically draping himself all over Yuto, slobbering kisses all over his skin, asking Yuto to go home with him. They wait until Yuto says yes, pretending to be surprised by the invitation, looking dazed as he trails behind Yanan to his car. _A Bentley,_ Yuto notices. _Custom made?_ Hyunggu was definitely right.

They wait until Yuto is gone, their sweet Yuto being swept away by someone who has no idea what’s about to hit him, and then they go home.

—

Yuto comes home to find Wooseok sat on the floor between Hyunggu’s legs, his head in his lap as Hyunggu braids his hair – it’s been getting a little too long – and he calls out a hello, a satisfied look on his face that’s obviously the product of a well spent night.

“So, was I right?” is the first thing Hyunggu asks, tying off the end of Wooseok’s braid that looks… a little wonky. Oh well. He grins up at Yuto. “Was he a prince?”

“Duke, actually,” Yuto answers, toeing off his shoes, shrugging off his coat. “But he said those titles don’t really matter much anymore. They carry no weight.” He comes over to give Wooseok a peck on the cheek, telling him, “Cute hair.”

Hyunggu lets out a small huff at that. “Close enough.” Then, “Still rich though, right?”

“ _Filthy,_ ” Yuto confirms, lips twisting into a wicked smirk before he kisses Hyunggu, tasting triumph on his tongue. He drops the duffle bag that he’d taken from Yanan’s closet onto the floor, letting Wooseok rummage around in it before he stretches out on the couch, resting his head against Hyunggu’s thigh.

Wooseok practically dumps the contents of the bag out onto their carpet, his wallet, that Rolex, every single ring that he had worn last night and more, even thick rolls of money like the ones you see in the movies. _Who even has those lying around?_

“I let him keep the bracelet,” Yuto says then, as if he was doing him a favour. “It seemed to be his favourite.”

Hyunggu lets out a dramatic gasp, pressing a hand over his heart, an airy laugh bubbling up his throat. “Oh, aren’t you a saint?”

That makes Yuto laugh too, thoroughly amused, but it’s cut short when Wooseok turns to them with a frown, asking, “You didn’t get his car?”

Wooseok has always had a penchant for cars, fast cars, fancy cars, anything he can get his hands on. The keys are always the first thing he pinches off of people, even though they never get to keep the cars for more than a few days in fear that they’ll get caught. Still, he likes them, likes pretending that he could have one of his own someday, and neither Hyunggu nor Yuto ever have the heart to ruin that for him.

“It was custom made, babe,” Yuto tells him, reaching out to rub his head in apology, his bottom lip jutting out. “It would’ve been too easy to trace. I’m sorry.”

The younger looks just a bit disappointed, shoulders going slack, but he nods in understanding, knowing that they can’t afford to get caught over something like that.

“You’re right,” he sighs, then he musters up a smile, leaning into Yuto’s touch. “It’s okay. I’ll get one next time.”

“I’ll get one for you,” Yuto chimes back sweetly, mirroring his smile.

Hyunggu hums at the scene, looking quite pleased, and he turns to the pile on the floor, numbers running through his head. “This should last us for a while,” he notes, relieved that they won’t starve through the winter after all. Then his hands find their way to the other two, one resting on the rise and fall of Yuto’s chest, the other curled around the back of Wooseok’s neck.

“Good boys,” he murmurs, more to himself than anyone, a content sigh on his lips. “My boys.”

—

The next time they find themselves at a bar, all dressed up again, in need of some… _funds,_ it’s Hyunggu’s turn to choose.

Hyunggu’s choices tend to be a bit extravagant, going after the ones that look like they’d be impossible to break, only because he knows he’s the only who can tear them apart piece by piece, stripping away everything they have, taking it all for himself, for his boys. It’s hard work, exhausting, it wears him out more often than not and it’s obvious that the cons outweigh the pros, but still, just to prove that he can, he does it anyway. He’s a bit stubborn like that.

There’s plenty of them tonight, from young heirs of multi million dollar companies to famous faces that walk the red carpet, all of them practically oozing wealth with every breath that they take, like if Hyunggu touched them, his hand would come away dripping in solid gold. And he could just pick one, anyone, flash a few smiles, a bit of skin, slipping his hands into places they shouldn’t go, luring them in with his drug-like kisses.

It would be so easy, too easy.

He could, he really could, so he doesn’t know why he doesn’t. He doesn’t know why his eye catches on someone else, on someone that shouldn’t even stand out in a crowd like this. He’s cute, sure, but there’s nothing special about him, nothing that makes him seem worth the time. The suit he’s wearing is nice, but it looks a little loose on him, like he’d either lost too much weight since he’d gotten it or it isn’t even his in the first place. Plain shoes, plain belt, the guy doesn’t even have a watch. (Neither does Hyunggu but that’s not the point.)

But Hyunggu feels this odd pull towards him, stirring in his chest, spreading through his veins, rising to his skin. It makes him want to go over to him, to take him apart just like he does with everyone else, just for the fun of it. But they can’t afford to have fun, to waste time, waste their chances. Hyunggu knows that. So he doesn’t know why he says it, only realising that he has once it’s out there, hanging in the space between them.

“I want that one.”

Wooseok is the first to question it, he knows Hyunggu better after all, and his eyes narrow at him. “That one?” he echoes, shooting a quick glance at the guy. “He doesn’t look like your type.”

“My type?” Hyunggu counters, matching Wooseok’s expression, colder even. “What type would that be?”

The younger swallows thickly at the sudden tension, shuffling back towards Yuto. “I- I just meant- He doesn’t look… _rich,_ ” is what he says, choosing his words carefully. “I don’t think you should bother.”

“The ones you go after are never really that rich either,” Hyunggu is quick to say, his tongue sharp, the corner of his mouth already curling into a snarl. “Why can’t I have someone nice for once?”

He doesn’t know why he’s getting so worked up, so heated. Maybe it’s the stress, the pressure, the constant reminder that they’re running out of options with every day that passes, that they can’t keep this up forever. He shouldn’t be taking it out on Wooseok, not on Yuto either, because it’s always been his idea, his game, his fault that they’re caught in this crime. Not theirs.

But the words leave his lips before he can stop himself, tasting bitter on his tongue. “Am I only allowed to go for the creeps who tie me up and throw me around like I’m some kind of doll?”

“Hyunggu-” Yuto starts, eyes already wide in concern, but Wooseok interrupts him with a scoff.

“No one forces you to do that,” he hisses, a low growl in the back of his throat, stepping forward to loom over Hyunggu, looking down at him. “ _You_ are the one who chooses them. _You_ are the one who chases them. We don’t like it, you know we don’t, but you do it anyway.”

Hyunggu’s jaw clenches at that, still standing his ground, unfazed by Wooseok’s attempt to threaten him with his height. “You don’t like it, huh?” His voice is laced with poison, he hears it sting when he speaks. “Yet I don’t see you complaining when you get to cruise around in a Benz that _I_ got for you, when you eat the food that _I_ put on the table, when you’re swimming in the riches that your petty fucking thief tricks can’t afford you.”

“Oh my god-” Wooseok breathes out through his nose, heavy, shaky, his teeth gritting tight. “You think I care about all that? Yeah, it’s nice. Yeah, I enjoy it if it’s there. But I’d give it all up if it meant you’d stop coming home in broken pieces that we have to put back together.”

“So that’s what I am then?” Hyunggu laughs, but it’s empty. He catches a glimpse of Yuto shaking his head in warning, as if telling him not to go there, but it’s too late. He’s too far gone, too hurt. “Just some broken toy that you have to keep fixing?”

Wooseok falters at that, his anger ebbing away as quickly as it had come, his features, his tone going soft. “Hyunggu, you know that’s not what I meant,” he says, trying to reach for his hand, but he’s hesitant, like he’s afraid to touch him, like he’s afraid Hyunggu won’t let him. “I’m just saying, I- I don’t care about the money or the cars or whatever.” He takes his hand. “All I care about is you. _Us._ All of us.”

For a second there, Hyunggu looks like he’s about to cave in, like he’ll apologise for stepping out of line, like he’ll forgive Wooseok for doing the same. But he just blinks, once. Once more.

“If you don’t care about the money,” Hyunggu says, so quiet that they barely hear him, his head ducking to avoid both their gazes. “Then you won’t care if I choose this one tonight.”

Hyunggu pulls his hand out of Wooseok’s, and he turns away. He’s still so stubborn. So, so stubborn.

They watch as he goes, disappearing between sweaty bodies, leaving a heavy silence in his wake, and they both choke on it, unsure what’s just happened, unsure what to do, what to say. Until Wooseok grabs Yuto’s hand, that dark flash back in his eyes, saying, “Come on, Yuto, let’s go home.”

“B-But Hyunggu hasn’t even-” Yuto tries to say, but Wooseok just clicks his tongue at him, sharp, demanding, yanking on his hand to get him to his feet.

“He’ll be fine,” he almost spits out, his face twisted into a scowl that Yuto doesn’t quite like the look of. “Now, I said, let’s go.”

Yuto should say something, he should, but he can’t, his words caught in his throat, keeping him silent, a bad habit that he can’t seem to unlearn.

He doesn’t even get to see whether or not Hyunggu had made it to the guy he had his eyes on before Wooseok drags them out of the place, onto the cold streets. And because Yuto is good, always too fucking good, too used to never saying no, never having a voice of his own, just to keep them happy, he just lets himself be led home, leaving Hyunggu behind.

Bad habits, bad habits, bad habits.

Hyunggu shouldn’t be surprised when he looks back over his shoulder to see that they’re gone, the stools where they’d just been sitting now empty, their glasses still full. He had hoped that at least Yuto would stay, but he knows that he has just as hard a time saying no to Wooseok as he does saying no to Hyunggu. Hyunggu doesn’t blame him.

It doesn’t matter anyway. In this game that they play, the game he plays, he’s always alone. Sure, it’s nice when they’re there, when they’re watching, when he has the comfort of knowing that they’ll be there to step in if things go awry. But once he’s gotten himself roped into the hands of whoever his companion for the night might be, once he’s in the backseat of limousines, behind closed doors of penthouses, he’s alone again. Always alone.

So he can do this alone too, taking in a deep breath, gathering what little courage he has left after that argument with Wooseok, and he goes.

The guy is cuter up close, still not all that special, but cute, in that boy next door type of way. He’s all brown eyes, brown hair and straight teeth. A perfect little thing.

Hyunggu wants to ruin him.

“You’re new,” Hyunggu says when he steps up to him, a smirk already dancing on his lips. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

He’s startled by the sudden advance, turning to Hyunggu with lips parted in a small gasp, obviously not expecting anyone to come up to him, but he’s quick to recover, quirking a smile of his own. “Just got my first paycheck from my new job,” he explains. “Thought I’d treat myself to a night out for once.”

Hyunggu’s eyes light up at the mention of a fresh paycheck, an evil voice in the back of his head saying, _take that, Wooseok,_ before he lets out a hum, giving him a rather thorough once-over. That oversized suit would look nicer on the floor, Hyunggu thinks. Maybe the flimsy shirt too. He’ll find out soon, he hopes.

“I- I’m Changgu,” he says then, as if trying to pretend that Hyunggu wasn’t shamelessly undressing him with his eyes right there and then. “What’s your name?”

Hyunggu almost says his own name, his real name, but he catches himself before he does. He might be doing things a little differently tonight, might be a bit blinded by this cute boy, but he’s not _that_ stupid.

“Kino,” he answers, the name all too familiar to him now.

“Kino?” Changgu echoes, testing the name on his tongue before his smile widens. “That’s a cute name.”

“As cute as me?” Hyunggu asks, teasing, and he lets out a gentle laugh when Changgu’s face immediately turns pink, the boy mumbling out a sheepish, “Definitely.”

Hyunggu reaches out to tap his blushing cheek, giving him a quick wink as he says, “You’re cuter.” Then, before Changgu melts into a puddle of embarrassment, just for the ruse, he asks, “Can I buy you a drink?”

Changgu is quick to decline the offer, instead saying, “No, no, please, it’s on me,” and Hyunggu pretends to be surprised by it, sending a sweet thank you his way as he leads them to the bar.

He orders those colourful drinks with the little umbrellas in them, and Hyunggu ignores the glasses of scotch that Yuto and Wooseok had left behind, just by Changgu’s elbow, like they’re there to taunt him.

Unlike his clean, poster boy look, Changgu is surprisingly quite a drinker, downing glass after glass, and Hyunggu doesn’t stop him – he’s paying after all – but he himself is content with milking that first glass as slowly as he can, not wanting to lose himself in the alcohol. He doesn’t trust himself when he’s drunk, and he doesn’t have Yuto or Wooseok with him to stop him from doing something completely insane this time.

Changgu’s a talker too, going on and on about this and that and everything in between like he and Hyunggu are old friends, and he’s awfully expressive, his face, his voice, even his hands constantly flailing around as he tells his stories. And maybe it’s the drinks that’s got him so excited, maybe it’s the thrill that the pounding music brings, but Hyunggu has a feeling that the sparkle in his eyes is just something that’s always there. It’s cute, Hyunggu thinks.

He’s not used to this, not used to being around someone who actually wants to talk to him about things other than what they want to do to him in bed, so he isn’t sure what to say. But Changgu is content with doing all the talking, and Hyunggu likes listening to him talk, so he keeps talking, and Hyunggu listens and listens and listens.

Hyunggu hadn’t realised that he’d been inching forward with every passing second until he’s practically nose-to-nose with Changgu, the boy’s words trailing off slowly once he notices the proximity.

“So and then I…”

Changgu gulps. Hyunggu looks at the way his throat bobs, at his slick lips, at his eyes, his pretty, pretty brown eyes.

“K-Kino?” he squeaks out, and he looks so _flustered,_ so shy, and Hyunggu just wants to kiss him until his lips are as red as his cheeks.

So he does, tilting his head forward to press his lips onto Changgu’s – they’re a little chapped, but that’s okay – and his hand slides over his thigh, up until the curve of his waist, squeezing him tight. The contact makes him jump, but it only pushes him closer to Hyunggu, his own hands snaking around his neck, their knees slotted between each other’s now.

As much as Hyunggu wants to just kiss him senseless right there, he doesn’t let it get any further than that, saving it for later. He nips at Changgu’s bottom lip, not enough to hurt him, before he breaks the kiss, and it pulls this adorable whine out of him, one that makes Hyunggu smile, almost laughing against his mouth.

Hyunggu brushes his lips against Changgu’s one last time just to indulge him for a moment, but it’s not enough to satisfy him, the boy mouthing at him aimlessly in a weak attempt to get another kiss out of him.

“Kiss me again,” Changgu almost begs, pouting at him, trying to pull him back in, and Hyunggu thinks the drinks have definitely hit him now, his eyes going glassy as he blinks up at Hyunggu.

He runs the back of his knuckles against Changgu’s cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin against his own, and his voice is soft when he tells him, “Not here.”

“Where then?” Changgu asks, bouncing impatiently, and that’s all it takes for them to end up in Changgu’s apartment, Hyunggu kissing him again as soon as they push through the door, kicking it shut behind them, hands free to touch anywhere and everywhere now.

That stupid suit goes first, then his shirt, and Hyunggu was right, they look much better on the floor, along with Hyunggu’s own shirt, all left in a messy trail leading to his bed. His room isn’t all that much, Hyunggu notes, probably about the same size as theirs back home, except their bed is bigger, to fit three rather than one. So there isn’t enough room for them to do much, and Hyunggu’s definitely not used to this, far too accustomed to lavish suites and silk sheets.

But he takes one look at Changgu, just lying there, his body bare, waiting for him, wanting him. Changgu, all brown eyes and brown hair and straight teeth, so perfect. Changgu, his pick, his choice, _his._

Changgu, right there for Hyunggu to take. So he takes him.

—

Hyunggu wakes later than he usually does, morning sun already burning bright when he opens his eyes, and he doesn’t want to admit it, but he knows that it’s because he’d been comfortable through the night, cuddled between Changgu’s arms. He’s afraid to move, afraid that he’ll wake him, but he remembers how much Changgu had drank the night before and once he’s wriggled around a bit without any sign of the boy stirring, he figures it’s safe to slip out of his hold then.

He hates that he misses the feeling of it as soon as he does.

He dresses himself quickly, padding around quietly, and one sweep around the place is enough to tell Hyunggu that Wooseok had been right, that Changgu wasn’t rich at all. In fact, he was probably getting by with just as much as they were, minus all the fortune that doesn’t actually belong to them.

Still, he does have a few things worthy of being stolen, things that would bring in a bit of cash if Hyunggu were to pawn them off, but Hyunggu casts a glance towards the sleeping boy, remembers the look of pride on his face when he’d mentioned his first paycheck, and…

_Ah, fuck._

Hyunggu doesn’t have the heart to take anything from him. They don’t steal from the poor after all. But he can already hear Wooseok’s _‘I told you so’_ buzzing in his ears, and he’s still a little hurt from last night, so he really doesn’t need that right now. And he can’t possibly come home with nothing but the obvious marks of a good night, because they don’t just sleep around for fun. They do it because they have to, because they need to survive. Hyunggu knows that.

So he sucks it up, grits his teeth, and slips Changgu’s wallet into his own pocket, trying his best to ignore the weight of it, like heavy guilt sinking into him.

And he should go, before Changgu wakes up, before Yuto and Wooseok start to worry, before Hyunggu loses himself completely.

He should go, but before he does, he finds himself standing over Changgu’s bed, watching him for a moment, and _God,_ he’s even pretty when he sleeps. Hyunggu wants to stay, wants to watch him wake up, wants to see the morning light glint in his eyes, wants to kiss away the headaches that he’ll definitely have once he’s up. Hyunggu wants _him._ But he can’t have him.

All he can do is lean down to place a small kiss on Changgu’s forehead, barely there, just enough to ease the longing in his heart that shouldn’t exist.

Then, he goes home.

—

As soon as the door opens, as soon as they hear Hyunggu’s familiar footsteps, Wooseok practically flies off of the couch, barrelling towards him, yelling, “Fucking _finally!_ ”

Hyunggu is taken aback by it, mouth falling open, and he asks, “Were you waiting up for me?”

He was. Yuto knows he was. He knows that Wooseok regretted leaving Hyunggu behind as soon as they left the bar, that he wanted to go back and get him, take him home with them, but his pride didn’t allow it. He knows that Wooseok had waited by the door the entire night, not even getting a wink of sleep, in case Hyunggu changed his mind, in case he decided to come home. He knows that Wooseok begun to worry once morning came and Hyunggu was still nowhere to be seen, knows that he was already plotting a murder in his head if it turned out that this guy had hurt Hyunggu in any way. He knows that Wooseok and Hyunggu are just the same, really, that they get at each other’s throats so often, so easily, only because they’re too alike for their own good.

He was waiting, but he says, “No. Why would I?”

And _ah,_ Wooseok is just as stubborn as Hyunggu is too.

That makes Hyunggu’s face turns sour, muttering an, “Okay then,” under his breath before he starts to head for their room, not even bothering with a proper hello, not even sparing Yuto a glance.

But Wooseok stops him, calling out, “That’s it? You came home with nothing?” His voice grows cold, cutting, teeth bared in a cruel snarl. “Don’t tell me you went soft and didn’t have the guts to steal from him.”

Hyunggu shuts his eyes for a moment, breathing in deep, and it looks like he’s about to explode, Yuto already on alert in case he needs to hold him back. But all he does is pull out a flimsy wallet from his pocket, turning to Wooseok to toss it at his chest, a blank expression on his face. And he sounds broken when he says, “Sorry he wasn’t a prince.”

Yuto hears their bedroom door slam shut, hears the click of the lock, hears Hyunggu’s muffled cries. Then he hears Wooseok curse to himself, hears the wallet fall to the ground, hears his footsteps stomping right out the front door.

Then, nothing. Just… _nothing._

And Yuto has no idea what to do about it.

—

Hyunggu finds himself outside Changgu’s door a few days later, bundled up in heavy coats and even heavier scarves because it’s a bit cold out, and his face is bare, looking nothing like how he looked on the night that they’d met. His nose is a little red, so are his eyes, and he doesn’t want to say that it’s because he’s been crying, but it’s totally because he’s been crying. He won’t tell Changgu that though.

He doesn’t know why he’s here, honestly, but he couldn’t stand being in that house anymore, everything around him being a reminder of how badly he’d fucked up, feeling guilt twist in his chest every time he looked at Yuto or Wooseok. He still hasn’t spoken to either of them since the other day, and neither of them seem to want to speak to him either.

So he’s here, to talk to someone who always seems to be up for talking, and before he knows it, he’s knocking on the door, once, twice, once more.

“Coming!” he hears from inside, locks turning, hinges creaking, and- “ _Kino._ ” Changgu looks surprised to see him, eyebrows shooting up, frozen where he stands until he snaps out of it, head shaking, eyes blinking. “H-Hey. You’re here. Hi.”

Hyunggu gives him a lopsided smile. “Wanna take a walk?”

“Yeah, let me just-” Changgu disappears to change into decent clothes, wrapping himself up in warm woolen before he heads out, nodding his head at Hyunggu to lead him out of the building.

They don’t say much at first, the both of them unsure as to where exactly they stand with each other, Hyunggu still wondering what he’s doing here, Changgu wondering the same.

“It’s nice to see you,” Changgu says then, being the first to break that deafening silence, glancing over at Hyunggu. Then, with a little uncertainty, “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again. You were already gone when I woke up the other day, so I figured you just…” He flashes a tight smile. “I’m sorry if I was… _bad._ I hadn’t slept with anyone for a long time before that so-”

“No, no, you were fine,” Hyunggu is quick to tell him, waving a hand. “It was fine. Really. You were a lot _gentler_ than what I’m used to so… It was nice.”

Changgu lets out a breath of relief at that, pretending to wipe his brow, looking a lot more comfortable now. “Oh, that’s good to hear. I gotta admit, I was a little bummed out that day because you know, you left, then I realised that my wallet was missing-”

Hyunggu bites down on his tongue.

“-I must’ve dropped it after I paid for the drinks, I don’t know. Then later I got a call from my boss, saying that it’s been nice working with me, but they’re gonna let me go. And it was, like, the third job that I’d been fired from in the past two months so…” He sighs. “Everything kinda sucked.”

Changgu gives him a toothy grin. “But now you’re here, and I feel a lot better.”

That makes Hyunggu smile, but he feels like he shouldn’t, like he’s not allowed to, but he does it anyway, reaching for Changgu’s hand between them. He tells himself it’s just for the warmth. That’s all it is.

And he says, “I feel a lot better now too.”

They walk around in circles for what feels like a million years, just talking about nothing in particular, hands still locked tight, sharing a coffee that Hyunggu had treated them to this time, and it’s nice, Hyunggu thinks, really nice.

But Hyunggu isn’t stupid, he knows nothing can come of this, knows that he should stop himself before he lets it get too far. He knows that, but still, when they’re standing outside Changgu’s door again, fingers tangled in each other’s like they don’t want to let go, almost pressed up together, lips close, so close, Hyunggu can’t help but say, “I really want to kiss you.”

“So kiss me,” Changgu says, and Hyunggu wants to, he really does, but…

He smiles, sad, slow. “I can’t,” he whispers, thinking of Yuto, of Wooseok, of his boys, the ones he already has, the ones who have him. “I just can’t.”

Before Changgu can say anything else, before Hyunggu can change his mind, he leans up to kiss his cheek, too quick for him to even react, then he leaves, promising to never return, to never lose himself like this again.

—

Hyunggu shouldn’t be surprised that Wooseok is the first one he sees when he sneaks back into the house, a knowing look on his face, and when Hyunggu opens his mouth to try and explain himself, Wooseok just holds up a hand.

“I don’t even wanna hear it,” he says, voice rough, like he’s been smoking and he only does that when he’s really upset, a bad habit that he can’t seem to rid himself of.

Then he goes, pushing past Hyunggu, slamming the door shut behind him and Hyunggu knows where he’s going, what he’s doing, knows that he’ll come home wasted, with blood on his knuckles and bruises on his cheek. He knows that whenever Wooseok is upset, angry, he runs away, because he doesn’t trust himself not to hurt them if he sticks around. So he lets himself be hurt instead, filling his body with toxic, picking fights just to feel a different kind of pain, all to protect them from himself.

Bad habits, bad habits, bad habits.

Hyunggu goes to their room then, pushing the door open quietly, hoping that Yuto won’t be there because he’s not sure he can handle upsetting another one of them, but Yuto _is_ there, lying on his back with a book in his hands.

He looks up when he hears Hyunggu come in, and it takes him a bit longer than Wooseok, but he puts it together too and he asks, “You went to see him, didn’t you? The guy from the club?”

Hyunggu gives him a stiff nod, turning away in shame.

But then Yuto says, “I’m not mad.”

“That makes one of you.”

“Wooseok saw?” Another nod. “And he left?” One more.

Yuto sets the book aside, sitting up and he pats his lap. “Come here.”

Hyunggu is hesitant, feeling like he has no right to be treated like this, but Yuto’s always been nice, too nice, and Hyunggu’s craving a bit of kindness right now so he does as he’s told, crawling onto him, curling up against his chest, Yuto’s arms circling around him to keep him close, cheek pressed against his hair.

This doesn’t happen often, Hyunggu always being the one to coddle both Yuto and Wooseok, hardly ever letting himself be babied simply because he always felt like he needed to be the one taking care of them, not the other way around. But it’s nice like this, nice to be taken care of for once.

“You like him,” Yuto says then, and it’s not a question, but a statement, like he’s sure of it.

“No, I don’t,” Hyunggu tries to say, but it comes out weak, unconvincing.

Yuto laughs at that, a breathy chuckle falling from his lips. “Yeah, you do. You had that look on your face when you looked at him.” He pauses. “You used to look at me like that.”

Hyunggu jerks his head up to frown at him, a crease in the middle of his forehead. “I still look at you like that.”

“No, you don’t,” he says, but there’s no heat behind it. “It’s different now. Now, you look at me the same way you look at Wooseok.”

“With annoyance and frustration?” Hyunggu deadpans, but Yuto just laughs again, louder this time, his head shaking.

“No, with love,” is his answer, and Hyunggu feels his face start to burn, tucking his head into the crook of Yuto’s neck again in an attempt to hide it. He doesn’t know why it embarrasses him, it’s not like they haven’t been together for years, like they haven’t been exchanging ‘I love you’s’ like it was a hello, but he thinks that maybe he’s embarrassed because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to love them, not after what he did with Changgu.

Yuto sighs then, rocking Hyunggu in his arms, slow, gentle. His voice is slow, gentle, when he tells him, “It’s okay to like him, you know? We all liked each other too.”

“It’s different,” Hyunggu whispers, shaking his head against Yuto, still refusing to look up at him. “The three of us, it’s just… It’s different.”

“But it wasn’t always the three of us,” Yuto reminds him. “It was you and Wooseok, then you liked me, you wanted me, and then it was the three of us.” Yuto nuzzles against him, holding him tighter. “If you like him, if you want him, it can always be more than the three of us.”

 _More than the three of us._ Hyunggu had never thought about it, never thought that it’d be even more than him and Wooseok until Yuto came along, never thought that it’d get any further than that. But then he thinks of Changgu, pretty Changgu, perfect Changgu, and he wonders if it could be more, if they could be more. He wants them to be more. As much as he tried to make it go away, to pretend that he didn’t feel anything for him, he knows he wants Changgu, he wants him as much as he wants Yuto and Wooseok, and if Yuto says that it can be more, then…

“Would you really be okay with it?” Hyunggu asks, lifting his head, meeting his gaze.

Yuto smiles at him, sweet, so sweet, one hand coming up to cup his cheek. “You know I’m okay with whatever makes you happy.”

“And what about what makes _you_ happy?” Hyunggu counters, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth in worry.

“You make me happy, Wooseok makes me happy,” he answers honestly, then he lifts a shoulder, that smile still on his face. “Maybe he can make me happy too.”

Hyunggu feels his eyes water at that, and _jeez,_ he really needs to stop crying all the time, but he tilts his head, pressing into Yuto’s palm, and he sounds choked up when he says, “You know I love you, right?”

Yuto’s lips stretch even wider, enough to make his eyes crinkle up, and he nods. “I know.” Then he tips his head down, his mouth meeting Hyunggu’s in a soft kiss, and Hyunggu’s pretty sure that he’s definitely crying now, but Yuto doesn’t seem to mind it, only kissing him deeper, his thumb brushing away the stray tears that manage to slip out.

And when he says, “I love you too,” Hyunggu thinks that maybe everything will be okay after all.

—

They never go to the same place twice in a month, sometimes even two, just to avoid raising any suspicions. Sometimes they’re even forced to drive out to clubs in the next town over because the crowds near home still seem to be filled with people that they’ve robbed. But they know they have to do it, to stay safe, stay hidden, so Hyunggu doesn’t know why Wooseok insists on going back to that bar the next weekend, that same bar where he’d met Changgu.

It’s unlikely that he’ll be there, especially since he’d mentioned that he’d gotten fired and well, his wallet is still tucked into one of their drawers back home, but Hyunggu doesn’t want to take any chances.

Still, Wooseok is adamant about it, dressing Yuto up himself when the latter had tried to convince him that they should just stay home this weekend, that they still had some money leftover from Yanan’s stash. And Hyunggu doesn’t trust Wooseok to keep himself out of trouble, so he forces himself to get ready too, his steps reluctant as they head back to the bar.

They haven’t talked about what happened, Hyunggu ignoring the cuts on Wooseok’s hands when he came home the other night, Wooseok ignoring Hyunggu completely, Yuto ignoring the fact that they’re both fucking idiots. And it shows once they’re there, the three of them sat in different seats at the bar, spread out like they’re strangers, all nursing their own drinks quietly.

Hyunggu doesn’t know what they’re doing here, doesn’t know if there was even a point to this, but then he hears Wooseok say, “My turn,” and _right._ It is Wooseok’s turn. His turn to go find someone nice, to dance with them, to let his hands do all the work. Hyunggu doesn’t know why he had to drag them all out just for that when they know that he’s more than capable of handling it on his own, the entire affair only taking half an hour at most.

He doesn’t know, but when Wooseok’s lips twist into something wicked, mischief sparking in his eyes, Hyunggu has a feeling that they didn’t just come here for fun.

“I’m choosing that one,” is what he says, and when Hyunggu turns his head to see who he’s picked, he feels his stomach drop.

_Changgu._

“Wooseok, what are you-”

“What?” He laughs, already standing, his grin looking almost feral. “I just wanna see what’s so great about him, what’s got our little Hyunggu so whipped for him.”

Hyunggu’s jaw tightens, his voice dropping low, getting to his feet too. “Don’t do this, okay? If you’re mad at me, then be mad at me. Don’t take it out on anyone else.”

That just makes Wooseok rolls his eyes, a bored groan coming up his throat, and he swats his hand at Hyunggu. “You’re making it sound like I’m gonna hurt him,” he says, sounding airy, unbothered. “I’m just gonna have a bit of fun with him. What’s the big deal? We already share everything anyway.”

Another stupid laugh, arm flinging out, and Hyunggu thinks he might’ve had a few drinks on his own before they’d gotten here, the boy stumbling a bit on his feet.

Then Wooseok says, “We even share Yuto!” and-

“I told you we should’ve just stayed home,” Yuto mutters, a flash of hurt on his face as he shoves past Wooseok, hitting him a little too roughly, but he doesn’t seem to care, disappearing right out the doors.

Wooseok seems to snap out of it for a moment, like he’d just realised what he’d said, but then his gaze lands on Hyunggu, and his ego brings that dirty grin back to his lips, obviously trying to get a rise out of him.

But all Hyunggu says is, “Are you happy now?”

Then he leaves, chasing after Yuto, leaving Wooseok behind just like he’d left Hyunggu behind the other night. And Wooseok is left with nothing.

 _Well,_ Wooseok looks at Changgu. _Except him._

—

By the time Wooseok makes it back home, he’s already sobered up enough, whistling to himself as he walks in, twirling a set of car keys around his fingers. He stops short when he sees Hyunggu waiting by the table, his arms crossed tight over his chest, his face nothing but stern lines. And Wooseok knows that he might’ve already crossed a line tonight, that he shouldn’t push it any further, but he can’t help the way he throws his arms open, calling out an obnoxious, “Honey, I’m home!”

Hyunggu isn’t amused, at all, not even blinking an eye, and Wooseok huffs, his arms falling limp at his side.

“Buzzkill,” he mutters, then he starts to move towards their room, but Hyunggu says, “Unless you want Yuto to hurl a book at your face, I suggest you sleep on the couch tonight,” and Wooseok freezes in his spot.

He turns back slowly, tongue in his cheek, and he drops himself on the couch, already closing his eyes. “Goodnight then-”

“Why did you do that?” Hyunggu asks, coming over to stand right by him, staring him down. “Why’d you have to go after him?”

Wooseok clicks his tongue, eyes still shut. “Relax,” he says, breathing out slowly. “I didn’t even kiss him.” He cracks his eyes open a bit, cocking an eyebrow. “But _he_ tried to kiss me, tried to do more than that actually. Looks like your little crush might be a teeny bit one-sided, huh?”

Hyunggu ignores the flare of heat in his stomach at the sound of that, telling him that it doesn’t matter, that this isn’t about Changgu, that it’s about him and Wooseok and everything that’s been going wrong between them since that night.

“Poor you,” Wooseok drawls on, almost sneering at him, sarcasm ringing clear in his tone. “It’s not like you already have boyfriends or anything-”

He yanks Wooseok up by the arm, turning him so that he’s sitting up, and the younger is startled by how strong he actually is, but really, after all the shit he goes through, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

“What’s this really about, huh?” Hyunggu questions, no more bullshit. “Why are you so mad at me? What did I do? Is it because I didn’t get a lot of money the other day? What-”

“For fuck’s sake-” Wooseok sucks in air through his teeth, his frustration rather obvious, fingers curling into fists. “How many times do I have to tell you, Hyunggu? I don’t give a shit about the money. It’s always been about you. About me.” His anger seems to falter, turning into something weaker, his body slumping forward. “Did you forget who I am? What I am to you?”

“ _No,_ of course not-”

“It was you and me. It was always you and me.” Wooseok swallows down a sob, eyes blinking back tears. “Then it wasn’t anymore. Then it was you and me and Yuto.”

Hyunggu feels his knees shake, making him fall to the couch next to Wooseok, his head heavy, dizzy. “But… But you love Yuto.”

“Of course I love Yuto,” he agrees, his head bobbing in a nod. “I love him more than anything, I love _you_ more than anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to love every single person you decide to fall for.” His tongue wets his lips nervously. “I mean, what’s it gonna be? You and me and Yuto and Changgu and everyone else that comes along like a fucking parade? Isn’t this already enough?”

Hyunggu has always been greedy, wanting more than he can have, more than he can handle, a bad habit he can’t seem to quit. His worst habit.

“Aren’t we already enough for you?” Wooseok asks, and Hyunggu feels his heart ache. They’re enough, more than enough, he knows that. But he still wants Changgu, he wants all of them, wants what he can’t have. He still chases after those people who hurt him, he craves that satisfaction of breaking them apart, goes so fucking far just so he can give his boys what they want. He spoils them, gives them more than they need, takes more than he needs. He takes everything he wants, takes it all, just because he can. And he doesn’t know when it’ll ever be enough for him. He doesn’t know when to quit.

Bad habits, bad habits, bad habits.

But he’s had enough of his bad habits, had enough of hurting the people he loves, the people who love him. It’s enough. It’s finally enough.

And Hyunggu means it when he says, “You’re more than enough.”

—

Things go back to the way it was after that, Hyunggu braiding Wooseok’s hair, Yuto lying by his side, the both of them laughing at something Wooseok had said. And it’s nice, perfect, enough. The three of them is enough.

Changgu, and everything that he’d brought upon them, is forgotten, like the whole thing never even happened, the only reminders of him being the wallet that’s still stashed away somewhere and the car keys that Wooseok still hasn’t let go of, mostly because he’s too lazy to get rid of the car, leaving it lying out front while he spends his time cosying up to Hyunggu and Yuto, saying that he’s missed them.

It had only been a week or so that they’d had that rift between them, but it was a week too long, none of them used to being upset at each other for that long, none of them used to having anyone come between them. Because it’s just the three of them, and it’ll always be just the three of them.

Until there’s a knock on the door, Yuto going to open it because Hyunggu’s still trying to twist Wooseok’s hair up neatly, and-

“Oh no.”

Yuto tries to shut the door, but Changgu shoves his foot in the way, forcing it open again and he pushes right past Yuto, not even bothering to take off his shoes, calling out, “Where are you, you little shit?”

Hyunggu’s hands freeze in Wooseok’s hair when he hears the familiar voice, Wooseok going still under him too, both of their mouths popping open when Changgu storms into their living room, rage written all over his face.

Wooseok turns to Hyunggu in panic, eyes wide, hissing, “You told him where we live?”

Hyunggu is offended at the accusation, scrambling to his feet. “No! I didn’t even tell him my name.”

“You didn’t,” Changgu says to him, then he points a sharp finger at Wooseok. “But _you_ did.”

Wooseok’s face falls.

“I found my car parked outside the building, and it didn’t take much for me to ask the front desk which apartment my dear, old friend Wooseok lived in,” he explains, his voice laced with venom. He shifts his gaze to Hyunggu. “And you, Kino, whatever the fuck your real name is, I didn’t really lose my wallet, did I?” When Hyunggu can’t answer him, he seems to take it as an affirmation of his suspicions, letting out a scoff. “Of course. Of course the first guy I like in a long time turns out to be a _thief._ ”

“You know, I didn’t think much of it at first, it seemed like too much of a coincidence, but then I remembered my friend telling me about this Adachi guy that he’d taken home one night, only to find him _and_ most of his things gone the next morning.” He shoots a look at Yuto. “I’m guessing that was your doing.”

Changgu turns to Hyunggu again, and he doesn’t look angry anymore, in fact, he almost looks hurt. “And the other day, when you came to see me again, what was that, huh? You came to gloat? To toy with me one last time?”

“ _No,_ ” Hyunggu says, his voice raising without him meaning to. “No, I came to see you because I wanted to talk to you, because I- I liked you.”

“Yeah, okay, you liked me-”

“I did!” Hyunggu hesitates, eyes darting nervously, unable to look at Yuto or Wooseok now. “I _do._ ”

Sure, he’d decided that he was content with just the three of them, had put Changgu out of his mind, but now that he’s standing here right in front of him again, with his pretty eyes that look so _sad,_ Hyunggu knows that there’s still a part of him that wants him.

Hyunggu moves towards him, hurt crossing his own features. “And I thought you liked me too, but according to Wooseok, you were more than ready to take him home the other night.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Changgu cries, his face twisting into a deep frown. “You left me the morning after, then you showed up out of nowhere, saying that you want to kiss me but you can’t, then you just disappeared again. Did you expect me to just wait around for you?”

He’s right, they both know he is. If he waited, he’d be waiting forever, he’d be waiting for nothing. Because as much as Hyunggu wants him, this would never work. It just wouldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Changgu,” Hyunggu says, and he means it, he really is sorry, for all of it.

But Changgu just huffs, arching a sharp eyebrow at him. “Sorry for what? For seducing me? For stealing from me? That’s what you people do, isn’t it? Seduce and steal? Rob people blind?”

Hyunggu doesn’t like his tone, doesn’t like the way he’s speaking to them like he’s above them. He knows what they do isn’t right, knows that it doesn’t make them good people, but he doesn’t need someone like this telling him what’s right or what’s wrong. And his pain twists into something harsher, tongue running over his lips slowly, before he speaks, his tone icy. “So what? Are you gonna go to the cops? Get us caught?”

“No,” Changgu says, and to Hyunggu’s surprise, to all their surprise, he tells them, “I want in.”

That almost makes Hyunggu laugh, coming out in a sharp breath, and when he looks over at Yuto and Wooseok, they look amused too, like Changgu had told a joke. And really, it does seem like a joke, because did he really think he could just barge into their home, accuse them of being thieves – _he’s right, but still_ – and have the audacity to want to join them?

“Sweetheart, this isn’t some kind of after school club that you can just sign up for,” Hyunggu sneers, lips curling. “This is something built on love and trust, years of commitment, and you can’t even commit to a single job.”

“Neither can any of you obviously, if this is what you have to resort to,” Changgu retorts, and well, again, he’s right.

Hyunggu is fed up of this, tired of having to deal with someone who has no idea what he’s trying to get himself into, and he was silly to think that he could’ve ever taken Changgu to be a part of them. It was a mistake, the entire thing was a mistake, and Hyunggu’s about to tell Wooseok to just get rid of him, get rid of that stupid car too, but-

“Why don’t we give him a chance?”

It’s Yuto who says it, Yuto who never says anything, and all of them turn to him with wide eyes.

He seems to shy slightly from the attention, but he stands his ground, squaring his shoulders. And he says, “I mean, he was smart enough to figure us out. He’ll be smart enough to do what we do. Just let him try it, and if he can pull it off, well…”

Hyunggu and Wooseok exchange looks, unsure what to do, because they’re not used to having Yuto make the calls, but they suppose there’s a first for everything. Wooseok shrugs, and Hyunggu turns to Changgu.

“Well, come on then,” he says, and Changgu almost chokes on his spit.

“Really? Now?” he asks, sounding like an excited child, that sparkle in his eyes back yet again, and Hyunggu thinks it’s a bit funny that he’s so thrilled about going to rob someone, but who is he to judge?

They all shrug on their coats, still only wearing pyjamas underneath but it doesn’t matter, it’s not their turn tonight anyway, and they crowd around Changgu as they walk down to the nearest bar, him and Hyunggu tucked in the middle of Yuto and Wooseok. And Hyunggu tries to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that’s telling him that they’re finally complete now.

Their eyes scan the bar as soon as they get there, trying to pick someone out for Changgu, and he seems to get ahead of himself, pointing out a guy with grey hair, saying, “Should I go after him?”

Hyunggu smacks his hand away. “No, you don’t get to choose,” he tells him, voice stern. “We’ll choose for you, and if you get it done right, then you can have your turn.”

Wooseok jerks his chin to his left, at a tall boy with dark hair, and Hyunggu looks him over, humming in approval once he’s sure that this guy is worth their time, and Yuto gives a nod to say that he agrees too.

“T-That one?” Changgu’s mouth goes dry. “But he looks so… _rich._ ”

“That’s the point, dummy,” Hyunggu almost groans, grabbing him by the shoulders, roughing him up just a bit. “Now, just like you said, go seduce, steal, and don’t get caught.”

Changgu puffs his cheeks out. “And if I get caught?”

“Then you’ll never see us or your car or your empty wallet ever again,” Hyunggu tells him, and it sounds like a warning, but his tone is light, airy, almost beaming at Changgu, and when he glances at the other two, they have equally as terrifying smiles-but-not-really-smiles on, and _oh,_ what has he gotten himself into?

He knows they expect him to fuck up, to embarrass himself, and they’ll just go home and laugh about it over a few cups of tea, and Changgu will be nothing but a silly story that they tell their grandchildren over dinner one day.

But, well, Changgu has a few bad habits of his own, habits only he knows.

What Hyunggu doesn’t know is that he’d gotten fired so many times because he’d been caught trying to embezzle company funds into his own account. What Wooseok doesn’t know is that the car he’d stolen from Changgu wasn’t even his in the first place. What Yuto doesn’t know is that he’d only heard about what happened with Yanan while doing the exact same thing that he did. He’s surprised none of them noticed the bracelet on his wrist.

Bad habits, bad habits, bad habits.

Changgu breathes in, out. “Seduce, steal, don’t get caught.”

They watch as he goes, walking right up to the guy they’d picked for him with a surprising surge of confidence, flashing a dazzling smile as soon as he’s there. It doesn’t take long for them to get handsy, and Wooseok laughs when he notices that Changgu’s already slipping his watch into his pocket, looking rather intrigued, like he’s finally seeing what it is that made him catch Hyunggu’s eye. Yuto has a thin smile playing on his own lips, keeping a sharp eye on Changgu, but he’s got this look on his face, the same way Hyunggu had looked at Changgu, the same way he’d looked at Yuto once upon a time too.

And _huh,_ Hyunggu thinks, _maybe this could work after all._

—

They’re lying in a pile of tangled limbs on the couch when Changgu comes in the next morning – _did he pick the lock?_ – and he’s got a smug look on his face when he tips over the bag that he’d brought with him, everything spilling out onto their coffee table; watches, jewellery, money, even a pair of designer shoes. Then, he pulls something out of the bottom of the bag, tossing it over to Wooseok.

“I got his underwear too, if you’re into that,” he says, quirking his eyebrows, lips smirking. Then, he drops the bag, swiping his car keys from where Wooseok had left them on the counter, and he waves a hand just before he shuts the door behind him, calling out, “You know where to find me when you make up your mind.”

Neither of them say anything for a while, just staring at the stolen goods on the table, concrete proof that Changgu had indeed pulled it off, the guy’s underwear still hanging in Wooseok’s hand, and-

“Was he wearing Yanan’s bracelet or am I crazy?” Yuto asks, at the same time that Wooseok wonders, “Why the fuck am I holding someone’s underwear?”

And Hyunggu is the first to say what they’re all thinking: “Guys, I think we just got scammed.”

Really, if he’s being honest, he’s pretty impressed. He thinks Yuto was right to say that Changgu was smart, he might just be smarter than all three of them combined, and Hyunggu thinks that maybe they need someone smart to keep them out of trouble. He thinks Yuto and Wooseok are thinking the same thing, because they turn to him, expectant, waiting for his call, and they say, “It’s your choice.”

It’s Hyunggu’s choice, it’s always Hyunggu’s choice, but…

“I chose you first,” he says to Wooseok, his hand coming up to tuck his hair behind his ear gently. “You’ll always be my first.”

He turns to Yuto, his other hand reaching for his cheek. “Then I chose you. The best decision I ever made for us.”

Hyunggu smiles at them, his boys, and he tells them, “But I’m not gonna make the decisions for us anymore. It’s three of us, all of us. It’s our choice.”

He sighs, looking at how much money Changgu’s just made them in a single night, wondering how much more they could all make together, and he asks, “So what’s it gonna be?”

—

Hyunggu sits in one of those booths with the shiny seats, the table in front of him cluttered with half empty glasses, and he’s got Yuto on his right, clinging onto his arm, a little bit too drunk already. Wooseok is on his left, an arm stretched around Hyunggu’s shoulder, loose but tight enough to show his claim. Changgu only comes a bit later, his hair done up in gentle curls because Hyunggu thinks he looks pretty like that. He’s got satisfaction slapped right across his face as he comes over to sit himself down in Wooseok’s lap, stretching his legs out over the other two, Yuto immediately latching onto his ankles to keep him from falling.

“You’re heavier,” Wooseok comments with a knowing smile, and Changgu just lets out a bubbly giggle, giving his jacket a gentle shake, hearing all his trinkets chime in his pockets, saying, “I got some toys.”

Hyunggu gives him a playful roll of his eyes, but he pats his knees as a thank you, telling him, “Good boy.”

Changgu beams at the compliment, leaning over Wooseok to give Hyunggu a quick kiss, which just makes Yuto whine out a, “Hey, what about me?” so Changgu shuffles forward to kiss him too, a dopey smile stretching across the boy’s lips when he does. And Wooseok’s already pursing his lips by the time Changgu moves back to him, so Changgu kisses him too before he snuggles into his chest, all of them finally content, complete.

“Good boys,” Hyunggu whispers to himself, relaxing in Wooseok’s hold, resting his head against Yuto’s, lacing his hands with Changgu’s. And it’s nice, perfect, enough. They’re enough. More than enough. “My boys.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are very much appreciated! ♡
> 
> find me on:  
> ➳ [twitter](https://t.co/53juFqJvjz)  
> ➳ [curious cat](https://t.co/igkkeEKzGK)  
> ➳ [listography](https://t.co/BKguVIn7Gc)


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